For those of you who have not seen the Irish dark comedy/thriller "In Bruges" (2008), starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, this is a spoiler alert. The film, which I would highly recommend, is entirely centered around Farrell's character, Ray, a grumpy, rookie hitman who has made a horrible error. Ken (Gleeson), a more seasoned hitman, is assigned the responsibility of chauffeuring Ray around for one last week before he is to kill the aspiring assassin. The entire film takes place with a breathtaking backdrop since Harry (Fiennes), the boss of the aforementioned hitmen, has asked Ken to take Ray to the "fairytale town" of Bruges. The point behind my plot summary of a film that came out nearly three years ago is this: the whole reason Ray is taken to Bruges is because Bruges is so beautiful that Harry and Ken believe he will be able to die a peaceful and fulfilled death. And, after my trip, I can't agree more.
DAY ONE
I arrived in Brussels on Thursday night with mixed emotions. Of course, I was very excited to explore Brussels and taste the fabled delicacies of Belgium, but I was not to meet up with my two Tufts friends, Chris P. and Chris D., until the next day. So, I was alone in a French and Dutch-speaking city with no friend in the world. Upon checking into the hostel, however, I was blessed by an incredible coincidence. As I began to unpack, two boys who seemed to be pretty close in age to me entered the room. They hurled their bags on a set of bunk beds and chatted vociferously. I noticed that they were speaking Spanish, but not just any strain of Spanish. They were dropping their "S's," changing words like "España" into "Eh-paña." I piped in: "De dónde sois?" ("Where are you from?") "Sevilla," they responded in unison.
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| The sunset catches off a building in Brussels. |
Off the bat, I had found two friends in Brussels. What's more, Dani and José, my two new Sevillano friends, are currently studying in Marseilles and can speak some rudimentary French. That night, we traveled around Brussels, eating delicious food, sampling some delectable Belgian beer and checking out the sights. We explored the Grand Place, Brussels' central square and most memorable landmark, and a couple of popular streets for dining and night life. That night was certainly a great introduction to Brussels and I am glad I had some friends with whom to spend it.
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| The Grand Place, or Grote Markt, in Brussels. |
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DAY TWO
I woke up bright and early, excited to meet up with my good friend, Chris. Chris has been abroad in Madrid since September, so I have not seen him since last summer (when we met up for 4th of July weekend at his summer house on Martha's Vineyard.) Chris and I have been friends since the first week of school in 2008 and we even co-authored a weekly pop culture column in the school newspaper for a while. Our love for films, including "In Bruges," most likely led to our intense desires to explore the medieval city. I waited for Chris behind the airport barrier alongside many heartsick Belgians, welcoming their loved ones back from long journeys or quick trips. Chris and I had time to catch up on the 50 minute train to Bruges from the Brussels North station. He seems to be sincerely enjoying his time in Madrid, with his only complaint stemming from the amount of work he has to do as a junior food critic for a Spanish publication. Upon arriving in Bruges, our jaws simultaneously dropped. Not only is Bruges starkly different from its country's capital, it is by far one of the most gorgeous cities I have ever seen. The entire town is a wrinkle in time, a testament to the past when wars were fought on horseback and cloth-trading markets cluttered central squares. Remarkably, Bruges has maintained its medieval character through the preservation of its large churches and rows of quaint, brick houses. Horse carriages, cyclists and pedestrians traverse the winding, cobblestone streets with no interruption from oncoming cars or taxis. The other mode of transportation is boat, as Bruges shares the title of "Venice of the North" with Amsterdam, due to its tranquil canals. These canals are populated with friendly ducks as well as majestic, white swans who glide across the still surface of the water. Not to mention, the people of Bruges--who mostly speak Dutch as opposed to Brussels, which is characteristically more French--are very friendly and open. A little old lady who spoke only Dutch even walked us over to our hostel before bidding us farewell and heading back in the opposite direction.
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| I relax along the canal with Saint Salvator's Cathedral in the background. |
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| The Bruges belfry stands 83m high. |
Chris and I arrived, having saved our appetites all morning for some Belgian delicacies. The hostel concierge advised us to walk to the main square, home to the famous Bruges belfry. The belfry is an enormous 13th century bell tower that overlooks the entire city. Dwarfing the surrounding shops and houses, the belfry is analogous to the North Star of Bruges as it is seen from almost all points in the city and can be a useful rendezvous point to help one find his way. At the foot of the belfry are two tiny food stands with green awnings. Upon first glance, the stands seem to be average, greasy street vendors. Yet, once Chris and I saw the size of the lines accumulating at either stand, we knew these places were special. Chris and I scampered over to the stand with a seemingly better selection for fries (not French fries, though, as we were told, because it's Belgium). There, we met a friendly man named Josef who advised us to order fries with stoofvleessaus, a Belgian beef stew, as well as a glob of spicy mayonnaise. After one bite of the succulent concoction, Chris and I knew we would be seeing a lot more of Josef. Chris and I continued to enjoy the scenery, snapping photos at every opportunity (and believe me, there were many) and tasting more treats. Our lunch that day consisted of the aforementioned fries, an incredibly delicious Belgian waffle with slagroom (freshly whipped cream) and some chocolate truffles. Finally, we got a call from our friend, Chris D., who had just arrived in Bruges from Paris. We met him at the train station and continued the day's adventure. That night, the three of us enjoyed a delicious dinner and topped it off with (what else?) another Belgian waffle. Bruges has an entirely different feel at night, but is equally beautiful. We knew we would be leaving Bruges the next day, but we could not leave without striking a couple more touristy things off of our to-do list.
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| My friend Chris hankers for a taste of this Belgian waffle, while I try to hold him at bay. |
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DAY THREE
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| The view from the belfry's summit. |
We arose early the next morning, and made our way back towards the belfry. This time, our intention was not to merely gawk at the beautiful structure, but climb all 366 spiraling steps to the top. The two Chris's and I made our way up the building, stopping along the way to see the huge gears of the clock uniformly churn. Once we reached the top of the building, we were surrounded by immense bells with an amazing panoramic of all of Bruges. The view from the top was awe-inspiring, as we gazed upon the rows of tiny brick houses and the iconic cathedrals, the entire city brimming with cheer as the merry people of Bruges enjoyed their Saturday morning. For lunch, we stopped off with our newfound friend, Josef, and carried on towards a Saturday morning market for some bratwurst, rotisserie chicken and pesto mushrooms. Later, we capped off a memorable 24 hours in Bruges with a picturesque canal tour. Seeing the city and its landmarks from the comfort of a longboat was extremely gratifying. Finally, we had to bid goodbye to Bruges and make our way back to Brussels via train.
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| The canal tour through Bruges was a definite highlight of the trip. |
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| The Brussels royal palace at night. |
When we arrived back in Brussels, we did a little more exploring, heading towards the royal palace and the European Parliament Building. Soon, however, it grew dark and we made our way down to a popular dining street for some
moulles frites (mussels with fries), typical Belgian fare. At the end of the night, the two Chris's and I went to Delirium Bar, the bar with the Guinness World Record for most different variants of beer served in one establishment. The boys and I sample beers ranging in color from light to amber to very dark and ranging in flavor from cherry to cookie! The Delirium Bar was truly a cool sight to behold and a welcome end to our trip. Nonetheless, I was not very fond of Brussels overall. The city has some amazing landmark buildings, but the dichotomy of urban, skyscrapers alongside royal palaces was offputting. The next morning, I caught an early flight back to Seville, content with my time spent in Belgium and keen on someday returning.
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